Andrew May is a performance coach who has spent the past 15 years working with elite sportspeople.

Walk and talk: get out in the open air and conduct a healthier style of meeting. Photo: Jessica Shapiro

It’s official – lack of physical activity and sitting on our ever-expanding backsides is killing us. So while you’re sitting down to read this blog, here’s a few hard facts about what’s happening to you at this very moment:

But honestly, do you really need research to tell you the average adult is moving way too little? Take a look at the people sitting next to you in the office, on the bus, in the airport, on the train. Lack of movement is weighing us down.

A case in point is a client of mine who started a coaching program earlier this year. I asked Dave to wear a pedometer to see how many steps he was taking in an average day. The results highlight why his friends have given him the nickname Day Spa Dave.

A day in the life of Day Spa Dave

The alarm clock bellows and Dave falls out of bed and walks to the toilet (10 steps). After showering he puts on his clothes and walks to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee and throw down some cereal (25 steps).

He walks out the door, presses the button on the lift and arrives at the car park, walks to his car and presses a button to open the front door (45 steps). Day Spa Dave then sits in his car for 30 minutes and drives to a car park in the city, circling to find a spot close to the lift (zero steps). He walks to the lift, presses another button, out of the lift and then walks to his office (220 steps).

Dave sits in his comfortable chair (with wheels), a colleague places a coffee on his desk, and he doesn’t stand until 11am (zero steps). He walks to the toilet at morning tea time, then catches a taxi to a client meeting and then a taxi back to his office (430 steps).

Our hero walks to coffee shop below office for lunch (80 steps) then returns to the office for back-to-back meetings all afternoon, sitting down the majority of time (90 steps). He walks to the lift, presses a button, gets out of the lift and then walks back to his car (220 steps).

Once home, Dave has a cup of tea with his wife and talks about his hectic day, followed by a shower then ducking out to pick up takeaway for dinner (320 steps). The dishes are stacked into the dishwasher and then it’s time to hit the couch to watch TV for a few hours before bed (30 steps). Finally, Dave switches off the TV, brushes his teeth and calls it a night (30 steps).

Total steps in Dave’s typical day? 1470. The recognised daily goal for good health? 8000-10,000. Is it any wonder Day Spa Dave’s weight had gradually crept up over the past few years? It was a good wake-up call to get him moving a lot more.

We're getting kinda heavy

The average Australian is gaining weight at the rate of 500 grams per year. Dr Paul Batman, Director at Australian College, is an advocate of squeezing more walking into our sedentary lives.

“From a health perspective, if people accumulate several two-minute bouts of stair-climbing each day, a number of health risk factors can be reduced after several weeks,” he says. “Eleven to 12 minutes of stair climbing per day improves aerobic fitness and reduces the bad LDL cholesterol.”

And how does this impact the bottom line? “If a man weighing 80 kilograms (all things being equal) climbed just two flights of stairs daily he would lose 2.7 kilograms per year.”

Five ways to take a stand

1. Walk-and-talk meetings

Rather than sitting all day, fire things up with a walking meeting. Tim Wilding has made walking meetings part of the DNA at CommInsure. “Most days our leaders have at least one 30-minute walking meeting to take in some fresh air and get the blood pumping.” A study at Stanford University found creativity levels were consistently and significantly higher after walking meetings.

2. Standing meetings

Karl Armstrong from NZI decided to replace the 60-minute Monday morning leadership meeting with a 20-minute standing meeting. “The results were immediate. The team was a lot more engaged, energy levels were higher and it is a much more effective way to start the week. It also supports our overall wellbeing program, encouraging employees to be active throughout the day.”

3. Cut out the cabs

James Patterson from CBRE made a conscious decision to cut back on inner-city cab rides. “A lot of my meetings are in the city and it’s easy to get into the habit of always catching a taxi. I walk to as many meetings as possible and this keeps my energy levels consistent throughout the day, and consciously walking back a different way means I’m more likely to run into business people I know.”

4. Standing work stations

With the majority of office workers now spending more than five hours a day resting on their gluteus maximus, a number of organisations are introducing standing workstations to minimise back pain and overuse injuries and to encourage movement and productivity at work. Pavani Ram, an associate professor of preventive medicine, has been using a stand-up desk since 2011. “I am amazed at how much more energetic I feel at the end of a working day, and I no longer suffer from lower back pain.”

5. Company walking challenges

Why not get yourself and your team involved in a walking challenge? Organisations such as 10,000 Steps Australia and Global Corporate Challenge (GCC) offer a choice of programs that have been designed to get you and your company moving. GCC found 75 per cent of employees reported improvements in morale and one-third reported an increase in productivity.

Just move it

I predict companies of the future will be doing all they can to keep employees (like Day Spa Dave) moving throughout the day to increase energy levels, enhance creativity and boost productivity.

18 comments

a Salli saddle chair and height adjustable desk - enough said!

Commenter

dave

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

July 03, 2014, 8:37AM

This might sound lame to some. But in some workplaces (particularly corporate) women are expected to wear heels with their suits. Wearing flats is considered to be less professional and polished. It seems as if suits (for women) were designed to be worn with heels. This is a slight obstacle to overcome in the process of incorporating more walking/standing/steps etc, as too much time on one's feet whilst wearing heels is a really painful combo!

Sounds frivolous I do realise, but it is a factor in the back of my mind when I read articles like this. I do wonder whether a switch to wearing flat sensible shoes to facilitate more standing/walking/stairs would have a bearing on my presentation at work ...

Commenter

Pip

Location

Martin Place

Date and time

July 03, 2014, 8:53AM

Pip, that is spot on. I have worn heels for 30 years in a corporate environment and always felt nervous walking down a slope (e.g. Martin Place in the wet) but the need to look professional overrode my comfort. There was no way I would willingly increase my walking when in heels. As predicted by my chiropractor, last year I became debilitated with foot problems (mainly plantar facilitus) and now only wear shoes that are good for me; no gauge yet on any professional effect.

The sitting problem is constantly on my mind and I try to remember to frequently pop out of my seat for any reason, must drive my colleagues mad.

Commenter

Dene

Location

CBD

Date and time

July 03, 2014, 9:43AM

Drop the heels, you'll be OK.

Commenter

alto

Date and time

July 03, 2014, 2:11PM

As someone who is disabled and requires a walking stick or crutches to walk/staagger more than about 2 meters I find this sort of "let's get moving people!" article badly thought through. Our writer Hero whose self proclaimed CV involves working with "elite sports people" has conveniently forgotten that there may be a large minority of the population who has no choice but to take the minimal amount of steps and avoid standing for long periods. There are probably people who wouldn't consider themsselves disabled who fall into this category.

My day starts with "Get out of bed and into wheelchair to go to toilet. After shower strap on leg braces so I can stand up to get to the car I drive to work...." think I am lazy? Imagine how great a standing meeting would be for me! Everybody standing while I sit below them in a chair staring at their crotches.

Commenter

StBob

Date and time

July 03, 2014, 10:00AM

I don't believe this article is targeted at you. Of course the writer is not calling people who can't walk, lazy. Don't be absurd. I've been in plenty of standing meetings, and chairs are offered for those who can't or don't want to stand. They generally sit towards the front of the meeting. No crotch staring to be had if you don't want to.

Commenter

rusta

Location

the berra

Date and time

July 03, 2014, 12:31PM

Sitting down is killing me? Gotcha. Will stay in bed.

Commenter

Homer

Date and time

July 03, 2014, 10:24AM

Great letter St Bob. Sitting down on the job is killing my back but on the other had I can't stand for long periods either. I have a back injury caused by an incompetent physiotherapist back in 2007. He knew what he was doing because I told him it was really hurting. He just kept going... and ruptured my disc. The worst thing I can do is to be sitting on it for hours day after day. And I do get up and move around as much as possible. Until the Physiotherpaists Registration Board, and other Boards like it, are forced to stop covering up for their members, to allow injured patients to receive the compensation that they should be entitled to, injured patients like me will have to keep working. There's no way I'll get to 70. Absolutely no way. I have a question for the people covering up - are you simply covering up for your member, or are you actually buying into your member's guilt? IF heels are uncomfortable for you, refuse to wear them. And if your bosses insist, then insist that themen also wear them - you know, equality and all that?

Commenter

Country Carole

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

July 03, 2014, 10:46AM

Missed the point and missed the point.

StBob's comment is ridiculous. No sane person would consider the article negligent. Is his/her point that general advice should not given to able bodied people in case it offends the 'large minority' of people with a disability? Do lactose intolerant people get angry when they hear milk is good for bone density? It's just common sense.

And... if you're referring to Pip's footwear dilemma, I'm certain her work would not force her to wear high heels, it's expected on a professional level. Nothing else.

Commenter

No idea

Date and time

July 03, 2014, 3:29PM

I make a point of standing to take a phone call at my desk, gets me up and off the PC and I can focus on the call and get a good stretch in at the same time!.